British Explorers - The Top Ten - Britain ExplorerBritain Explorer Undertook three great sea voyages of exploration: (1763 – 1767) Aboard HMS Grenville he was responsible for charting the complex coastline of Newfoundland. (1768 – 1769) Sailed to Tahiti via Cape Horn to observe the transit of Venus for ‘The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge’. (1769 – 1770) Explored the South Pacific for the fabled land of Terra Australis. (1769) First European to circumnavigate New Zealand and very accurately charted the coastline. (1770) First European to discover the Eastern coastline of Australia. (1770) First British explorer to set foot on Australia at the Kurnell Peninsula. (1770) Provided the name for Australia’s infamous Botany Bay. (1770) Discovered and named ‘Possession Island’ (Bedanug) in the Torres Straight where Cook claimed the coastline for Britain and named it New South Wales. (1770) Proved that New Guinea & Australia (New Holland) were not connected.

(1973) Circumnavigated the globe at a very high southern latitude, thus becoming the first person to cross the Antarctic circle and the first explorer to circumnavigate Antarctica. (1774) Discovered Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean. (1774) Discovered New Caledonia Island. (1775) Circumnavigated South Georgia Island and made the first landing. He named it “The Isle of Georgia” in honour of King George III and claimed it for Britain. (1775) Proved that the great continent of ‘Terra Australis’ did not exist and that Australia was the largest landmass in the South Pacific. (1778) Discovered the Sandwich Islands now known as the pacific Islands of Hawaii. He became the first European to land on Kauai Island. (1778) He became the first Navigator to effectively map the northwest coast of North America. (1778) Named Nootka Sound and British Columbia. (1778) Determined the shape and extent of Alaska. (1779) During February 1779 Captain James Cook was murdered in Hawaii.

He is largely accepted as the greatest British explorer of all time. The Cook Islands were named after him to honour his memory. SEARCH THE BLOG Antarctic Explorers - Ryotaro's Website Ryotaro's Website Antarctic Explorers Brief History of Antarctica In the 18th century, Europeans started exploring the Antarctic region. In 1772-1775, Captain Cook was sent on an expedition to the Southern Hemisphere. On the 17th of January 1773, Captain Cook became the first person to cross the Antarctic circle. He crossed it three times but he couldn't find the continent of Antarctica. The first man to see the continent of Antarctica was Fabian von Bellinngsingshausen. He saw the continent on the 27th of January 1820. Edward Bransfield was the second person to see Antarctica on the 30th January 1820. Then George Powell and Nathaniel Palmer discovered the South Orkney Islands on the 26th of December 1821. In 1823, James Weddell explored the Weddell Sea. The first person to reach the South Pole was Roald Amundsen.

His ship reached Antarctica in January 1911.They spend the winter in their base and on the 20th of October 1911, Roald Amundsen and four other men set out for the South Pole. They reached it on the 14th of December 1911 and they went back to their base on the 25th of January 1912. Another person to reach the South Pole was Robert Scott. He arrived in Antarctica in January 1911 and set out for the South Pole in October. He reached it on 17th of January 1912 and he found out Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole before him. The first person to fly a plane in Antarctica was George Wilkins in November 1928 and on the 29th of November 1929, Richard Byrd flew over the South Pole. In 1935, Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to land on Antarctica. In 1944, the British established a first permanent base in Antarctica for military purposes. The Australians established a scientific base in 1954.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1954 and came into force in 1961. Captain Cook's Voyages Antarctica History - Facts About Antarctica Antarctica History Vacations Share Antarctica history is relatively short, at least in terms of human activity. Going back some 170 million years, Antarctica was part of a larger landmass, or supercontinent, which is referred to as Gondwana. Over time, this supercontinent broke apart, and the various pieces drifted off in different directions. Antarctica was pulled south by the Earth's magnetic field, and at its core is the South Pole . When it comes to interesting facts about Antarctica, it's worth noting that it was the ancient Greeks who first conjured up the idea of a continent at the South Pole. Historians believe that the ancient Greeks were already aware of the Arctic and that they thought there must be a landmass on the southern end of the planet to balance things out. Visits to the continent by the ancient Greeks aren't part of the history of Antarctica. In fact, nobody had even crossed the Antarctic Circle before James Cook did so in 1773.

Captain James Cook, who was a British explorer, led the first recorded expedition into the Antarctic Circle, and while Cook and his men never spotted mainland Antarctica, they did allegedly discover the South Georgia and South Sandwich islands. It was Cook's reports of large seal colonies in the region that really started to spark interest in Antarctica expeditions, and some historians estimate that seal hunters actually discovered many of the regional islands. As for the first person to see the Antarctic continent, that distinction goes to a Russian naval officer and captain named Thaddeus Bellingshausen. Two other parties, one led by a British captain named Edward Bransfield and the other led by an American sealer named Nathaniel Palmer, spotted mainland Antarctica in the same year as Bellingshausen. The year was 1820, and by 1821, the first documented landing occurred, at least according to some historians. An American captain and sealer named John Davis, who was actually born in Surrey, England, is believed by many historians to be the first to land on continental Antarctica. Some historians dispute this claim, which lends to a certain amount of uncertainty when it comes to Antarctica history.

As for facts about Antarctica that are indisputable, historians know that a British scientist and naval officer by the name of James Clark Ross discovered both the Ross Ice Shelf and Mt Erebus. The southernmost active volcano in the world, Mt Erebus dominates that landscape on Ross Island, which can be found in the McMurdo Sound . Other expeditions bound for Antarctica made subsequent landings and land sightings in the 1800s, though it would be quite some time until people started exploring the inland areas. Antarctica Map In and around the early 1900s, Antarctica history takes an interesting turn. The sponsored expeditions that were headed to the continent during this period started to focus more on science and less on seal and whale hunting. Various teams from different countries made pushes to reach the South Pole in the early 1900's, and one can imagine how grueling these expeditions must have been. As for more interesting facts about Antarctica, the first team to reach the South Pole was a five-man team led by Norwegian explorer Roald Admudsen. This first arrival to the South Pole occurred on December 14, 1911.

One month later, a British captain named Robert Scott, who was Admudsen's rival, reached the South Pole with his crew. Scott and his party, however, tragically perished on their return trip. Another explorer who deserves mention when discussing the history of Antarctica is Ernest Shackleton, who attempted to cross the continent in 1915. That expedition failed, and Shackleton and his men had to rely on seal and penguin meat for a year before they were able to get help. The history of Antarctica is definitely a fascinating one, especially when one considers the early explorers. It's especially interesting to note that while Admudsen and Scott reached the South Pole in 1911 and 1912 respectively, it wasn't until 1956 that people returned! In 1957 and 1958, twelve different nations established more than 60 research stations on the continent, and by 1961, the Antarctic Treaty went into force. This treaty, which was originally signed by twelve countries, essentially mandates that no specific country may lay claims to the continent.

Today, nearly 30 countries send personnel to Antarctica to work at the dozens of research stations that are situated both on the mainland and on the area islands. Some of these stations operate year round, while others are seasonal. In addition to studying the natural history of Antarctica these research stations also focus on the wildlife , water conditions, general geology, and a range of other disciplines. Compare Travel Sites and Save! A Brief History of Antarctica A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTARCTICA By Tim Lambert The Early Explorers of Antarctica Although it is now a frozen wilderness Antarctica was once much further north and it had a tropical or semi-tropical climate. Forests grew there and life flourished. The Ancient Greeks realised there might be a great continent in the southern hemisphere. Aristotle argued that since the world is round there must be a landmass in the southern hemisphere to balance the land in the northern hemisphere. However the Greeks and later peoples had no way of proving it. It was not until the 18th century that Europeans had the navigation skills to explore the Antarctic region. In 1772-75 Captain Cook was sent on an expedition to the Southern Hemisphere.

On 17 January 1773 Cook became the first person to cross the Antarctic circle. He crossed it 3 times but failed to find land. The first man to actually see the continent of Antarctica was an Estonian named Fabian von Bellinngsingshausen on 27 January 1820. Separately Edward Bransfield was the second person to see Antarctica on 30 January 1820. Then on 26 December 1821 George Powell and Nathaniel Palmer discovered the South Orkney Islands. Furthermore in 1823 a Scot named James Weddell explored the Weddell Sea. Further exploration of Antarctica was carried out by an American named Charles Wilkes in 1838-39, the Frenchman Dumont d'Urville in 1837-40 and the Scot James Ross in 1839-41. The latter discovered the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf. Decades passed and the world showed little interest in Antarctica. Then in 1892-94 a Norwegian called Carl Larson sailed to the southern continent.

He discovered fossil wood, the first indication that the climate of Antarctica had once been much warmer. In 1895 another Norwegian, Henrik Bull discovered lichens growing on the Possession Islands, the first time plants had been found growing south of the Antarctic Circle. Then in 1897-98 a Belgian named Adrien de Gerlache led another expedition to the Antarctic. In 1899-1900 a Norwegian named Carsten Borchgrevink led a group of men who spent the winter on the continent of Antarctica. They proved that it was possible to survive even the extremely harsh Antarctic winter. They were also the first people to take dogs to Antarctica. Antarctica in the 20th Century In 1901-03 a German expedition to Antarctica was led by Erich von Drygalski. Also in 1901-1903 a Swedish expedition was led by Nils Nordenskjold. Meanwhile in 1901-02 a British expedition to Antarctica was led by Robert Falcon Scott. Another expedition was led by a Scot named William Bruce in 1902-1904.

Finally in 1908 Ernest Shackleton led another British expedition to Antarctica. The first man to reach the South Pole was a Norwegian named Roald Amundsen (1872-1928). Amundsen set out in a ship called the Fram in June 1910 The expedition reached Antarctica in January 1911. They were equipped with skis and dogs for pulling sledges. They spent the winter in their base and on 20 October 1911 Roald Amundsen and 4 other men, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting set out for the South Pole. They reached it on 14 December 1911. They returned to their base on 25 January 1912. However Amundsen's achievement was overshadowed by the tragic deaths of Robert Scott and his expedition. Scott arrived in Antarctica in January 1911 and he set out for the South Pole in October. They reached it on 17 January 1912 only to find they had been beaten by Amundsen.

The expedition failed to make it back to base and Scott made his last entry in his diary on 29 March 1912. The first man to fly a plane in Antarctica was an Australian called George Wilkins in November 1928. However on 29 November 1929 an American called Richard Byrd actually flew over the South Pole. In 1935 Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to land on Antarctica. The British were the first people to establish a permanent base in Antarctica in 1944 for military reasons. The Australians established a scientific base in 1954. Today many nations maintain bases in Antarctica. In 1958 Edmund Hilary reached the South Pole. He was the first man to reach it since Captain Scott in 1912. The Antarctic Treaty was drawn up in 1959 and it came into force in 1961. It seeks to conserve Antarctica and it is regularly revised. Antarctic Firsts ANTARCTIC FIRSTS An eclectic collection of Antarctic 'firsts' arranged by date. Some conflicting information needs to be resolved and some dates and details may be open to question.

Launched: 15 June 2003. Last updated: 4 October 2014 First time the word 'penguin' is used to describe the southern bird. (1586-1588). Occurred on the third circumnavigation of the world by Thomas Cavendish in the Desire. First drawing of an Antarctic tabular iceberg. (February 1700). Appeared in the logbook of Edmond Halley's ship Paramore. First to cross the Antarctic Circle. (January 17, 1773). Captain James Cook on his second voyage in the Resolution and Discovery. Crossed a total of three times during that voyage. In doing so, Cook was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica. Possibly the first to die in Antarctica, the Spanish officers, soldiers and seamen on board the San Telmo which sank in September 1819. There is a cairn commemorating this at Half Moon Beach, Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. First to sight Antarctic continent. (January 27, 1820). Captain Thaddeus Bellingshausen in the Vostok and Mirnyy.

Reached 69° 21'S, 2° 14'W saw an "icefield covered with small hillocks." First to chart any of the Antarctic continent (Trinity Land). (January 30, 1820). Edward Bransfield and William Smith in the Williams. First known landing on Antarctic continent. (February 7, 1821). Capt. John Davis in the Cecilia lands at Hughes Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. First recorded Antarctic winter spent on land. (1821). Eleven men of the Lord Melville, a sealer, on King George Island, South Shetlands. First scientist to work in Antarctica. William H.B. Webster sailed aboard the Chanticleer to South Shetlands to make pendulum and magnetic observations. Entered Deception Island on January 9, 1829. First fossils found in Antarctica. (1830). Found by James Eights, Palmer-Pendleton expedition, South Shetlands. First sighting of the Antarctic continent in the Indian Ocean sector (Enderby Land). (February 24, 1831). John Biscoe, in the Tula and Lively.

First to confirm that a great mass of land did exist in the Antarctic. (1830-1831). John Biscoe, in the Tula and Lively. First landing south of the Antarctic Circle. (February 9, 1839). Captain John Balleny in the Eliza Scott and the Sabrina. Discovered and landed on the Balleny Islands. First US expedition to include Antarctica. (1838-1842). United States Exploring Expedition under Lt. Charles Wilkes. First dog known to have been in the Antarctic. (1839). 'Sydney,' a dog picked up in Australia by Lt. Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition. First ever to enter the Ross Sea. (January 9, 1841). Sir James Clark Ross in the ships Erebus and Terror. First ever fancy dress ball in Antarctica. (December 31, 1841). New Years Eve during Sir James Clark Ross's expedition. First fish caught below the Antarctic Circle. (February 1842). Landed on the Terror during Ross's expedition. The ship's cat found it and made a meal of it.

First landing on Greater Antarctica (Victoria Land). (January 26, 1853). Mercator Cooper in the Levant out of Sag Harbor, New York. First expedition to the Antarctic whose aims were solely scientific. (1872-1876). Challenger expedition, under Captain Sir George Nares and Wyville Thomson, sponsored by the Royal Society. First steamship to cross the Antarctic Circle. (February 16, 1874). Challenger expedition, under Captain Sir George Nares and Wyville Thomson, sponsored by the Royal Society. First photographs taken of Antarctic icebergs. (1874). Challenger expedition, under Captain Sir George Nares and Wyville Thomson, sponsored by the Royal Society. First steamship to reach the coast of Antarctica. (1873-1874). German whaling expedition under Captain Eduard Dallmann in the Grönland.. First fossils found in the Antarctic. (1830). Found by James Eights, Palmer-Pendleton expedition. First vegetation (lichens) found below the Antarctic Circle. (January 18, 1895).

Found by Carsten Borchgrevink on Possession Island during the Bull expedition in the Antarctic. First substantiated landing on Antarctic continent proper. (January 24, 1895). Carsten Borchgrevink and two others all claim to have been the first to step ashore, at Cape Adare during the Bull expedition in the Antarctic. First scientific vessel to visit the Antarctic continent itself. (1897-1899). Belgica (formerly Patria) under Adrien de Gerlache during the Belgian Antarctic Belgica expedition. First insect discovered in Antarctica. (January 24, 1898). Discovered on Moreno Island by Arctowski during the Belgian Antarctic Belgica expedition. Christened Belgica antarctica. First man to ski in Antarctica. (January 26, 1898). Roald Amundsen on Two Hummock Island during the Belgian Antarctic Belgica expedition. [May have occurred during Carl Anton Larsen expedition (1892-1893) in the Jason.

Headland in his Chronology says it occured during the 1893-94 Norwegian expedition that included Carl Anton Larsen.] First to sledge in Antarctica. (January 31, 1898). De Gerlache, Amundsen, Cook, Arctowski and Danco on Brabant Island during the Belgian Antarctic Belgica expedition. First to spend a full winter so far south (below 60 degrees). (1897-1899). Belgian Antarctic Belgica expedition. First to use of Primus stoves in the Antarctic. (1898-1900). Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First time dogs were used on the Antarctic continent. (1898-1900). Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First deliberate wintering-over in Antarctica. (1899-1900). At Cape Adare during Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First Australian to winter-over in Antarctica: Louis Bernacchi (1899). Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink.

First "cinematograph" (movies?) taken in Antarctica. (April 1899). Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First human earth burial in the Antarctic. (October 14, 1899). Nicolai Hansen buried above Cape Adare; grave was "dug" with dynamite. Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First sledge journey on Ross Ice Shelf. (February 16, 1900). Party sledged 10 miles to new 'Furthest South'. Southern Cross expedition under Carsten Borchgrevink. First to winter over on the Peninsula. (1901-1904). At Snow Hill Island during Swedish South Polar expedition under Otto Nordenskjöld aboard the Antarctic. First real land expedition in the Antarctic. (1901-1904). British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott aboard the Discovery. First balloon ascent in Antarctica. (February 4, 1902). Eva was name of balloon. British National Antarctic (Discovery) expedition under Robert F. Scott. First Antarctic aerial photography.

(February 4, 1902). Taken by Shackleton from the balloon Eva. British National Antarctic (Discovery) expedition under Robert F. Scott. First broken leg from skiing in the Antarctic. (February 17, 1902). Suffered by Chief Steward Reginald Ford. British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First crops (mustard and cress) grown in the Antarctic. (October 1902). British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First harvest of first crops grown in the Antarctic. (November 1, 1902). British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First man to walk on the polar plateau. (January 1903). Albert B. Armitage, leader of the Western Party. British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First surgical operation performed in Antarctica. (October 18, 1903). Dr.Koettlitz removes cyst from Lt. Royds' cheek. British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First fossils found on Antarctic continent. (1903).

Found by Hartley Ferrar. British National Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Discovery. First moving pictures taken in the Antarctic. (1902-1904). Scottish National Antarctic expedition under William Speirs Bruce in the Scotia. Also attributed to Eric Marshall during Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, 1907-09. [See above, April 1899.] First expedition to record sound, on a phonograph. (1902-1904). Scottish National Antarctic expedition under William Speirs Bruce in the Scotia. First permanent scientific station to be established in the Antarctic, at Laurie Island, South Orkneys. (1902-1904). Scottish National Antarctic expedition under William Speirs Bruce in the Scotia. First bagpipe concert in Antarctica. (March 10, 1904). Gilbert Kerr, in kilt, plays to Emperor penguin. Scottish National Antarctic expedition under William Speirs Brice in the Scotia. First steel vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle, the Koonya with the Nimrod in tow (January 1908). British Antarctic expedition under Ernest H. Shackleton.

First automobile in Antarctica lowered onto ice. (February 1, 1908). British Antarctic expedition under Ernest H. Shackleton in the Nimrod. First instance of printing from set type on the Antarctic continent. (Issued June 23, 1908). Menu for the Midwinter Celebration at Winter Quarters, Cape Royds. British Antarctic expedition under Ernest H. Shackleton in the Nimrod. First evidence of coal found in Antarctica, discovered by Frank Wild. (December 17, 1908). British Antarctic expedition under Ernest H. Shackleton in the Nimrod. First book--Aurora Australis--produced (writen, edited, illustrated, printed, bound and issued) in the Antarctic. (Issued July 1908). British Antarctic expedition under Ernest H. Shackleton in the Nimrod. First soldier to join a British polar expedition, Captain L. E. G. Oates. (1910-1913). British Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Terra Nova. First professional photographer in the Antarctic, Herbert G. Ponting. (1910-1913).

British Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Terra Nova. First Antarctic land-line telephone installed, linking Cape Evans and Hut Point. (1910-1913). British Antarctic expedition under Robert F. Scott in the Terra Nova. First to reach South Pole. (December 14, 1911). Norwegian Antarctic expedition under Roald Amundsen in the Fram. Polar party: Amundsen, Bjaaland, Hassel, Hanssen and Wisting. Olav Bjaaland probably first to actually stand at the Pole. First expedition to have radio. (1911-1914). Australasian Antarctic expedition under Douglas Mawson in the Aurora. First expedition to take an airplane. (1911-1914). Australasian Antarctic expedition under Douglas Mawson. Plane never flew as it crashed before leaving; wings were removed and it was used as an "aero-tractor". First radio contact between Antarctica and another continent. (September 25, 1912). Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Douglas Mawson.

Initially radios could transmit but not receive; on 2/1913 two-way communication established. First Antarctic meteorite found, by Francis Bickerton, Leslie Whetter and A.J. Hodegman. (December 5, 1912). Australasian Antarctic expedition under Douglas Mawson. First ordained clergyman to set foot on the Antarctic continent (Cape Evans), Arnold P. Spencer-Smith. (January 17?, 1915). Ross Sea Party, Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition in the Aurora. First Antarctic flight. (November 16, 1928). Wilkins-Hearst expedition under Hubert Wilkins. Flight in the Los Angeles by Wilkins and Eielson was 20 minutes at Deception Island. First flight over Antarctic continent. (December 20, 1928). Wilkins-Hearst expedition under Hubert Wilkins. Flew over Graham Land from Deception Island. First airplane to take off from or land on Antarctic continent, Stars and Stripes, a Fairchild folding wing monoplane. (January 15, 1929).

Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. [See First flight over South Pole. (November 29, 1929). Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. Aircraft Floyd Bennett with Byrd, Balchen, June and McKinley. First winter circumnavigation of Anarctica. (1932). Discovery II, Stanley Kemp, Captain. First seismic observations in the Antarctic. (1933-1935). Second Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. First dairy cows in Antarctica. (1933-1935). Second Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. [See First man to winter over alone, Richard E. Byrd. (March 28 - August 10, 1934). Second Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. First human voice radio broadcast from Antarctic continent. (1933-1935). Second Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. First cosmic ray observations. (1933-1935). Second Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd.

First woman to set foot on the Antarctic mainland, Caroline Mikkelsen. (February 20, 1935). First flight across Antarctica. (Departing November 23, 1935). Lincoln Ellsworth and Herbert Hollick-Kenyon in aircraft Polar Star from Dundee Island to near Little America II, 2300 miles in six stages over two weeks. First African-American in Antarctica, George W. Gibbs, Jr. (1940). Third Byrd Antarctic expedition under Richard E. Byrd. First use of of helicopters and icebreakers. (1946-1947). Fourth Byrd expedition (Operation Highjump). First American ship, the Burton Island, to enter McMurdo Sound (1947). First helicopter to land at Hut Point (15 February 1947). First American landing at future McMurdo Station site (15 February 1947). First American style football game played in Antarctica (February 1947). First Antarctic expedition to include women. (1947-1948). Ronne Antarctic Research expedition under Finn Ronne.

Jennie Darlington and Edith (Jackie) Ronne wintered over. First truly international expedition to the Antarctic continent (1949-1952). Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic expediton. First Head of State to visit the Antarctic, Gabriel Gonzales Videla of Chile, in 1950. First airplane to land at South Pole. (October 31, 1956). Operation Deep Freeze II under Admiral John Dufek. Aircraft Que Sera Sera (an R4D) lands at South Pole, piloted by Conrad Shinn. First commercial flight to the Antarctic continent. (October 15, 1957). The two stewardesses--Ruth Kelley and Pat Heppinstall--became the first women ever to visit a U. S. Antarctic base. First successful land traverse of Antarctica. (November 24, 1957 - March 2, 1958). British Commonwealth Transantarctic expedition under Vivian Fuchs. Weddell Sea to Ross Sea via the Pole. First recorded birth of any species at the South Pole.

(March 14, 1961). Pandora the hamster gave birth to twins at South Pole Station. First nocturnal flight and landing in Antarctica, US mission to take Leonid Kuperov from Byrd Station for medical treatment. (April 9, 1961). First helicopters to fly to the South Pole. (February 4, 1964). Three UH-1B turbo-powered Iroquois helos from Mount Weaver. First winter flight and landing in Antarctica, US mission to take the injured Fire Chief from McMurdo to Christchurch for medical treatment. (June 26, 1964). Noted in an article in 'Antarctic,' the magazine of the NZ Antarctic Society, issue 229. It refers to the April 9, 1961 flight (above) which wasn't technically "winter." First human birth on Antarctic continent, Emilio Marcos de Palma born at Esperanza Station. (January 7, 1978). First South Pole Marathon. (April 20, 1981). Run by Dr. Chuck Huss on a treadmill in Biomed.

First recorded wedding at the South Pole. (February 11, 1985). Patricia Manglicmot and Randall Chambers were married at South Pole station. (Thanks to Bill-Ace Baker via John Splettstoesser.) First women to reach the South Pole by land, Victoria E. Murden and Shirley Metz. (January 17, 1989). Antarctica: History of Exploration History of Exploration Early Expeditions Although there was for centuries a tradition that another land lay south of the known world, attempts to find it were defeated by the ice. Antarctica's frigid nature was revealed by the second voyage (1772–75) of the English explorer Capt. James Cook . He did not see the continent as he circumnavigated the world, but he was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. British and U.S. seal hunters followed him to South Georgia, an island in the S Atlantic. In 1819 the British mariner William Smith discovered the South Shetland Islands.

Returning in 1820, he and James Bransfield of the British navy explored and roughly mapped the Shetlands and part of the shore of the Antarctic Peninsula. Searching for rookeries, sealers explored the coastal and offshore regions of the Antarctic Peninsula. Most notable were the British captains James Weddell, George Powell, and Robert Fildes and the Americans Nathaniel B. Palmer, Benjamin Pendleton, Robert Johnson, and John Davis. Davis made the first landing on the antarctic continent (Feb. 7, 1821) at Hughes Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula. First to spend the winter in Antarctica, on King George Island in 1821, were 11 men from the wrecked British vessel Lord Mellville. After 1822 fur sealing declined, but in 1829–30 Palmer and Pendleton led a sealing and exploring expedition that included Dr. James Eights, the first U.S. scientist to visit Antarctica.

John Biscoe, a British navigator, circumnavigated Antarctica from 1830 to 1832, sighting Enderby Land in 1831 and exploring the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula in 1832. John Balleny and Peter Kemp were other British sealers who made discoveries in E Antarctica in the 1830s. Four naval exploring expeditions visited Antarctica in the first half of the 19th cent. Capt. T. T. Bellingshausen was the leader of a Russian expedition that circumnavigated Antarctica (1819–21). He apparently was the first to see (1820) the part of the continent that is now called Queen Maud Land. In W Antarctica he discovered (1821) Peter I Island and Alexander Island. Admiral J. S. C. Dumont d'Urville led a French expedition to the Pacific Ocean that made two visits to Antarctica. He explored in the area of the Antarctic Peninsula in 1838 and in 1840 discovered Clarie Coast and Adélie Coast in E Antarctica. In 1840 Lt.

Charles Wilkes, leader of the U.S. Exploring Expedition to the Pacific (1838–42), sailed along the coast of E Antarctica for 1,500 mi (2,400 km), sighting land at nine points. British Capt. James C. Ross commanded two vessels on an expedition (1841–43) that discovered Victoria Land in E Antarctica, the Ross Sea, and the Ross Ice Shelf and explored and mapped the western approaches of the Weddell Sea. Inland and to the Pole In the 1890s, after a half-century of neglect, interest in Antarctica was revived. Norwegian and Scottish whaling firms sent ships (1892–93) to investigate the possibilities of whaling around the Antarctic Peninsula, and a Norwegian vessel examined the Ross Sea area, where a landing was made (1895) on Cape Adare. C. A. Larsen began whaling at South Georgia island in 1904–5, and the seas of the Scotia Arc became the center of Antarctic whaling until after 1926.

The 1890s also marked the beginning of a period of extensive Antarctic exploration, during which 16 exploring expeditions from nine countries visited the continent. For the first time, many of them were financed by private individuals and sponsored by scientific societies. It was a period of innovation and hardship in an extremely harsh, little-known environment. The Belgian expedition under Lt. Adrien de Gerlache was beset in the pack ice in Mar., 1898, and the ship drifted west across the Bellingshausen Sea for a year before it was released. A British expedition led by C. E. Borchgrevink was the first to establish a base for wintering on the continent (Cape Adare, 1899) and the first to make sledge journeys. Different parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of the Scotia Arc were explored by de Gerlache (1897–98), a Swedish expedition under Dr. Otto Nordenskjold (1901–4), the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition led by W. S. Bruce (1902–4), and two French expeditions led by Dr. Jean B.

Charcot (1903–5 and 1908–10). Nordenskjold spent two winters in Antarctica before being rescued after his ship was crushed by ice. Exploration in the Ross Sea area during this period was characterized by long inland journeys. Four British expeditions had bases on Ross Island at McMurdo Sound. British Capt. R. F. Scott headed two expeditions (1901–4 and 1910–13), E. H. Shackleton led another expedition (1907–9), and A. E. Mackintosh headed the Ross Sea Party of Shackleton's unsuccessful Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914–17). Roald Amundsen , a Norwegian, set up his base at the Bay of Whales, an indentation in the front of the Ross Ice Shelf, and a Japanese expedition (1911–12) was ship-based. The British expeditions carried out extensive exploration and scientific investigation of Victoria Land.

Shackleton sledged to within 97 mi (156 km) of the South Pole (Jan., 1909), but it was Amundsen who reached the Pole first, on Dec. 14, 1911. Scott reached it on Jan. 17, 1912, but he and four companions perished on the return trip. The Weddell Sea border of E Antarctica was seen first by Bruce (1904), and it was later explored by the German expedition of Dr. Wilhelm Filchner, discoverer of the Filchner Ice Shelf, whose ship was beset and drifted in the Weddell Sea through the winter of 1912 before being released. Shackleton reached the Weddell Sea in Jan., 1915. He had planned to sledge to McMurdo Sound, via the South Pole, but his ship was beset and crushed in the ice, and his party lived on ice floes until they finally reached Elephant Island in boats. From there Shackleton made his epic voyage of c.800 mi (1,290 km) to South Georgia in an open boat.

Two other expeditions explored E Antarctica during the early 20th cent.—Dr. Erich von Drygalski 's well-equipped German expedition (1901–3) was cut short on the Wilhelm II Coast when the ship was beset; and Douglas Mawson , leader of the Australasian Expedition (1911–14) established bases at Commonwealth Bay on the George V Coast and on the Queen Mary Coast. Five major sledge journeys were made from Commonwealth Bay; two men perished and Mawson barely survived. Technological Advances in Exploration In the period following World War I, scientific and technological advances were applied to further antarctic exploration. The first airplane flight in Antarctica (Nov. 26, 1928) was by Sir George Hubert Wilkins , an Australian who later flew down the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. However, it was U.S. explorer Richard E. Byrd who most successfully coordinated radios, tractors, airplanes, and aerial cameras for the purposes of exploration. On his first expedition Byrd established his base, Little America, near the site of Amundsen's old base at the Bay of Whales.

From Little America he made the first flight over the South Pole on Nov. 29, 1929. On this expedition Marie Byrd Land was discovered and explored from the air. On his second expedition (1933–35) Byrd successfully integrated flights with long sledge and tractor journeys in a more complete exploration of Marie Byrd Land. In 1929–30 three other expeditions were also using aircraft for short flights over the coast. Wilkins in 1929–30 operated in the Bellingshausen Sea. A Norwegian captain, Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, explored (1929–30) the coast of E Antarctica from Enderby Land to Coats Land; the area was later claimed by Norway as Queen Maud Land. In Nov., 1935, U.S. explorer Lincoln Ellsworth made the first transantarctic flight, from Dundee Island at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to the Bay of Whales, landing four times en route. The British Graham Land Expedition explored the Antarctic Peninsula by sea, air, and dog team from 1935 to 1937, using a different base each winter.

Germany made a calculatedly spectacular effort at aerial surveying when two aircraft flying from a catapult ship photographed approximately 135,000 sq mi (350,000 sq km) of Queen Maud Land. The Norwegians had done considerable exploration and mapping during the first two decades of antarctic whaling in the Scotia Arc. In 1925–26 they introduced pelagic whaling with factory ships that could operate in the open sea. Between 1927 and 1937 Lars Christensen led an extensive program of aerial exploration and mapping of the coast of E Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Shackleton Ice Shelf. Also allied to whaling were the investigations in physical oceanography, marine biology, and coastal mapping carried out by the Discovery Committee of the British Colonial Office from 1925 to 1939. Their major achievement was the discovery of the Antarctic Convergence. International Rivalry The 1930s were a period of international rivalry in Antarctica, and the map was cut into wedgelike territorial claims that in some places overlapped. Although the U.S.

government did not make a claim or recognize those of other nations, it supported antarctic exploration. The U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41), directed by Byrd, introduced the notion of permanent bases, one of which was set up at the Bay of Whales and another on Stonington Island W of the Antarctic Peninsula. The onset of World War II forced the evacuation of the bases, but before the war ended Great Britain, in order to offset claims by Chile and Argentina, had established permanent bases on the Antarctic Peninsula and off-lying islands. Interest in Antarctica intensified after the war, and several governments established permanent agencies to direct antarctic affairs. Great Britain, Argentina, and Chile continued the system of scientific bases in the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc. Australia established bases on Heard and Macquarie islands, and France founded one on the Adélie Coast. From 1945 to 1957 the U.S. navy conducted Operation Highjump, an expedition involving c.5,000 men. About 60% of the coastline was photographed, as well as much of the interior bordering the Ross Ice Shelf.

The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (1947–48), led by Finn Ronne, was the last privately sponsored U.S. expedition. Using Byrd's old base on Stonington Island, Ronne closed the unexplored gap at the head of the Weddell Sea. A portent of the international cooperation soon to follow, the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition was organized by the respective governments and scientific societies for exploration and scientific investigation in Queen Maud Land. The International Geophysical Year The International Geophysical Year (IGY), from July, 1957, through Dec., 1958, was planned to correspond with a period of maximum sunspot activity. As part of the IGY, 12 nations maintained 65 stations and operational facilities in Antarctica. The more difficult logistical problems of establishing inland bases were undertaken by the United States and the USSR. The American effort, termed "Operation Deep Freeze," concentrated on the building of McMurdo Station, a major base of operations, on Ross Island; five other U.S. stations were established, including one at the South Pole.

The Russians concentrated on E Antarctica, building Mirnyy, a station on the Queen Mary Coast, and three bases inland: Komsomolskaya, Vostok (at the South Magnetic Pole), and Sovetskaya. Britain maintained 14 stations, and Argentina, Chile, France, Australia, Belgium, Japan, Norway, South Africa, and New Zealand also participated. From 1951 to 1958, Dr. Vivian Fuchs led the British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition's traverse with tractors from the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound via the South Pole, conducting a seismic and magnetic profile en route. Long-distance flights by U.S. planes covered c.2,000,000 sq mi (5,180,000 sq km) in 1955–56. These and later support flights, the tractor journeys to build bases, and geophysical traverses by tracked vehicles during the IGY left little of the continent that had not been seen.

The Antarctic Treaty and Current Research The success of the IGY effort led to the signing (1959) of the Antarctic Treaty by representatives of the 12 nations that had been involved in the IGY. The treaty prohibits military operations, nuclear explosions, and the disposal of radioactive wastes in Antarctica and provides for cooperation in scientific investigation and the exchange of scientific data. In 1991, 24 nations signed a protocol to the 1959 treaty barring for 50 years the exploration of Antarctica for oil or minerals. The accord also contained provisions covering wildlife protection, waste disposal, and marine pollution. The treaty, which now has 48 member nations, did not end national claims to Antarctica, and in the 21st cent. claimant nations extended their claims over the continental shelf offshore to the maximum (350 nautical mi) allowed by international law. Of the 12 nations involved in the IGY, some dropped their programs, others suspended and then renewed operations; those that have been continually involved have reduced the size of their programs. Some stations have been closed, new ones have been opened, and old ones have had to be replaced.

Twenty-nine nations now operate some 40 year-round research stations on the continent; additional stations are operated in the summer. At McMurdo the United States has built a scientific village where people may be housed in summer and winter. From McMurdo other U.S. bases are supported by air. The National Science Foundation (NSF) finances the U.S. programs. Mapping is done by the U.S. Geological Survey. Russian research has suffered from financial difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was cut back in the 1990s. In the early 1970s fossil finds and geological studies gave further support to the theory of continental drift. Sediment samples obtained by the Ocean Drilling Project (1985) off the coast of Queen Maud Land indicate ice sheets covered E Antarctica over 37 million years ago.

Since the late 1980s scientists have researched seasonal ozone depletion, or "holes," in the stratosphere above Antarctica, which allows harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun to reach the earth (see ozone layer ); they have also queried whether the rising incidence of iceberg calving in E Antarctica and increased snowfall in W Antarctica are related to global warming and climate change. In 1997, through a joint effort of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, the first radar satellite images of the entire continent were made. These revealed new information on Antarctica's network of ice streams as well as features lying far below the surface of the ice. Since the 1990s cruise ships have plied the waters off the continent during the antarctic summer in increasing numbers. Sections in this article: 1. – Antarctica and New Zealand – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand Adélie Land, 1840 (1st of 3) Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest and highest of the world’s seven continents. Snow and ice cover 95% of its area, and the seas that surround it are frozen for much of the year.

It was the last continent to be discovered, and it had no human inhabitants. Terra australis incognita Europeans assumed the existence of an unknown land in the south, ‘terra australis incognita’, for thousands of years. The Flemish cartographer Rumold Mercator included it on his 1587 map of the world. Finding the southern continent was one of the objects of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman’s voyage of discovery when, in 1642, he became the first European to sight New Zealand. Antarctic and Antarctica Although ‘Antarctic’ and ‘Antarctica’ can be used to refer to different things, the two terms are so similar that many people use them interchangeably. Strictly speaking, Antarctica is the continent that surrounds the South Pole. ‘Antarctic’ refers to the entire southernmost region of the earth. It includes Antarctica and the surrounding ice shelves and sea. British navigator James Cook visited New Zealand during each of his three voyages of discovery. On his second voyage he was specifically commissioned to search for terra australis incognita, and in doing so he circumnavigated the globe, frequently sailing below 60° south.

On 17 January 1773 Cook and the crew of the Resolution became the first people to cross the Antarctic Circle (at latitude 66° 33’ south). Although Cook’s second voyage proved that neither Australia nor New Zealand was attached to a southern continent, he and his men did not sight Antarctica. Despite encountering icebergs during the Resolution’s southerly circumnavigation, the voyage did not confirm the existence of southern lands. Antarctica sighted In 1820, on separate expeditions, Russian admiral Fabian von Bellingshausen, Royal Navy master Edward Bransfield and American captain Nathaniel Palmer all sighted the southern continent. Bellingshausen visited New Zealand after seeing the ‘mountainous ice’ 1 of Antarctica. During the next two decades, sealers and explorers continued to visit the Antarctic, some using New Zealand as either a base before or a haven after making discoveries.

They included: John Balleny, an Enderby sealing company captain who discovered the Balleny Islands in 1840 Dumont d’Urville, a French admiral who found the Adélie Land coast of Antarctica in 1840 Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition, whose mapping in 1839–40 provided evidence of the southern continent James Clark Ross, the British Royal Navy officer who in 1840–41 discovered the Ross Sea, McMurdo Sound (named after an officer on the expedition), Ross Island and Mt Erebus (named after one of Ross’s two ships). First New Zealander Tuati, also known as John Sac, the son of a Scottish whaler and sealer and his Ngāpuhi wife, saw Antarctica in 1840 while a seaman with the Wilkes expedition. This first sighting by a New Zealander was commemorated 150 years later, when Tuati Peak in Antarctica’s Royal Society Range was named after him.

Landfall In January 1895 a party from the Antarctic – a whaling and sealing ship owned by Carsten Borchgrevink, a Norwegian resident of Australia – set foot on Cape Adare. It was the first recognised landing by people on the continent of Antarctica. The group included a young New Zealander, Alexander von Tunzelmann.

Question: Who was the first European explorer to cross the Antarctic circle?
Answer: Captain James Cook